The Ukrainian Institute, together with the Cultural Diplomacy Foundation, ist publishing, and the ЗMIN Foundation, presents the book Decolonising Art: Beyond the Obvious. The publication originates from a public programme of the same name, organised by the Ukrainian Institute during the 59th Venice Biennale.

“Before 2022, the naive illusion was that empires are consigned to history, democracy is a universal value, and that the experience of European genocide in the mid-20th century could never be repeated. The idea of Francis Fukuyama that world history had come to an end was keeping the eyes of the world shut, even whilst so many voices outside of Western Europe and America were urging people to look up.

It’s brilliant that the Piazza Ucraina was there in 2022 but did it change anything? Can art change reality? If not, what can art do in times of geopolitical crises? Intended as a platform to ask such uneasy questions, the programme Decolonising Art: Beyond the Obvious managed to make a few steps forward in answering them”, shares Tetyana Filevska creative director of the Ukrainian Institute and book’s curator.

This volume features eight keynote speeches and four review essays that revisit the programme’s main themes from a 2024 perspective. The authors of the essays are prominent cultural figures, curators, and art critics from Ukraine and abroad, leading key artistic institutions in various countries and being recognised as esteemed researchers in their fields. Among the contributors are Anna Łazar (director of Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw), Shaheen Merali (curator, critic, and artist), Olena Chervonik (PhD candidate in art history at the University of Oxford), and Lizaveta German (co-curator of the Ukrainian Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale).

“In 2022, the Venice Biennale became one of the first international platforms to start a conversation about Ukraine, Ukrainian culture, and art in a state of full-scale war — about Ukraine’s presence in the longer history of the Biennale and the cultural history of Europe. The public programme of the Ukrainian Pavilion explored decolonial perspectives, revisited attempts to write art history in Ukraine, and examined cases of cultural heritage destruction and preservation whilst building a bridge between Giardini and Kyiv”, states Borys Filonenko, editor-in-chief of ist publishing and co-curator of the Ukrainian Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale.

This publication challenges conventional views on decolonisation theories and their perception in contemporary cultures. It discusses the power of art in times of geopolitical upheaval and how such crises shape artistic practices. It also explores identity formation, hierarchies in the art world, and previously erased narratives of Ukrainian art history under the Russian Empire and Soviet Union.

Yuliia Sapiha, Director of the Cultural Diplomacy Foundation, underlines “This collection serves not only as a recognition of the need for transformation but also as a reminder of why decolonisation is necessary in the first place. It acknowledges colonisation as a phenomenon that has shaped culture, art, and identity while simultaneously acting as a call to action”.

“As global attention towards Ukraine fades, art continues to serve as a powerful tool for keeping Ukrainian discourse visible worldwide. This publication highlights the significance of cultural identity in shaping self-awareness, reclaiming heritage, and navigating the challenges of war and reconstruction”, says Iryna Shymon of the ЗMIN Foundation.

The book will be distributed free of charge to researchers, artists, students of relevant fields of study, and cultural professionals.